Two state attorneys general have reached nationwide settlements with an online address changing service to settle accusations that it deceived customers.

Thousands of customers of change-my-address.com/change-of-address.us will receive refunds from a $3 million fund established by the settlements between the attorneys general in Ohio and Washington and the websites, their parent company and its president.

I was unable to get information on whether any Pennsylvania residents are eligible for a refund, but since the settlement covers customers in all states, there's a good chance that's the case. About 20,000 Washington residents and about 16,000 Ohio residents may be eligible.

Authorities in those states brought the cases on behalf of consumers nationwide, alleging the websites failed to disclose the total $19.95 that customers would be billed for change of address services. The postal service charges only $1 for change of address services, and some customers thought that's what they would be charged, authorities said.

“This company deceived consumers into thinking they were paying one dollar for the change of address service, when in reality, they were charged much more,” Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said in a statement (read it here).

Authorities alleged the defendants programmed the payment page so it automatically jumped down to the middle of the page where credit card information was requested.

That jump deliberately obscured the top of the payment page that said customers would be charged $19.95, authorities said.

"The defendants furthered the scheme by creating the impression on the website that the cost of services would be limited to the $1 charge assessed by the USPS for address changes," the Washington attorney general's office said in a news release (read it here).

If you changed your address on these websites, watch your email for notification on how to make a claim. Notices are supposed to be sent by about May 24, according to the Ohio attorney general. Refunds are expected to be about $18.95, according to the Washington attorney general.

If you believe you are eligible for a refund but don't get an email notice, you can contact the Pennsylvania attorney general's office at 800-441-2555 or www.attorneygeneral.gov.

You can read the Ohio settlement here and the Washington settlement here.